Households Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Their Determinants in Drought Prone Agro-ecosystems of Northeastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change is mandatory to households and/or agro-ecosystems which have been affected and are also currently affected by climate variability/change to make them resilient. This will be achieved by employing appropriate adaptation strategies. This article examined the various adaptation strategies to climate change and their determinants in drought prone areas of northeastern Ethiopia focusing on Kobo and Golina districts in Amhara and Afar regions respectively. These areas depend mainly on rain-fed mixed farming agriculture and pastoral/agro-pastoral way of life. As a result, climate variability and change has created various impacts intermittently making households/agro-ecosystems vulnerable. Hence, it should be responded through appropriate adaptation strategies and practices. Accordingly, this study has tried to address these problems using mixed research approach and cross-sectional research design. Thus, data gathered from secondary sources (National Meteorological Agency), observation, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household survey. Consequently, quantitative data analyzed by SPSS and STATA software whereas qualitative information analyzed by content analysis. More specifically, multinomial logit model used to perform quantitative analysis. The findings have shown that there are different adaptation options determined by various determinants mainly demographic characteristics, access to or ownership of livelihood capitals, use or adoption of technologies, institutional setups and access to such institutions, and exposure of households to environmental factors. As a result, it is recommended that concerned stakeholders should work jointly to maximize the potential adaptation strategies of each household/agro-ecosystem. More specifically, mixed farming agro-ecosystems stakeholders should work jointly to tap irrigation potential and agro-pastoral and pastoral agro-ecosystems stakeholders should work to tap the potential in livestock diversification and mobility.

Keywords: climate change, vulnerability, adaptation, drought-prone, multinomial logit

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-5-01

Publication date:March 31^st 2021